Join us in knitting any Hanne Falkenberg design. For inspiration, check out her site http://www.knit.dk/billeder/ref.htm. Choosing a HF kit is a major investment - both financially and in time, so there is no start date or end date. So please, join in!

If you are interested in one of Amy's spreadsheets, you can find information by clicking here.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Modeling Mermaid

A few people asked me about how well Mermaid fit, my typical clothing size, etc. I've been wearing Mermaid quite a bit since spring seems to be delayed this year in Chicago and the weather has been quite cold (it's snowing today!). However, my personal photograher (otherwise known as my husband) isn't always handy when I'm wearing it. Finally, here are a couple photos of me wearing Mermaid. The details follow.

This is a size Medium Mermaid. In my previous post about finishing this project, I noted that the sleeves came out a bit longer than I prefer, but otherwise it fits very well.

At this point in time, I typically wear a U.S. size 14 (*gulp*, I'm working on losing weight). This translates to approximately a 40-inch bust and 42-inch hips. At times I do pin the jacket closed and it still fits well, although the gussets are not as flared as they probably should be. I think this knitted fabric can be very forgiving and stretchy, and I'm sure it will look even better after I lose some weight.

Now...can someone who has finished Ballerina return the favor? I would love to make another HF design, but wouldn't dream of doing so without one of Amy's spreadsheets, such as she made for Mermaid and is in the process of making for Ballerina. However, I'm concerned that Ballerina may not be that flattering to someone with my body shape. I do not believe that women with larger frames and figures should wear boxy, baggy clothing. I think Big Girl Knits explains this very well and find their advice very applicable: curvy women need to draw attention to their assets and accentuate their curves. Does Ballerina do this?

while I agree in theory that big girls shouldn't wear boxy clothes, for some reason this doesn't apply to Ballerina. I knitted one and it looks fantastic on my mother, who is on the big side. It actually looks better on her than it does on smaller people.

Thanks for the info about the fit (and for bravely sharing your measurements with everyone).

Looking at your shape I wonder if Ballerina would hide your curves too much and make you look bigger than you are. I think it takes a certain body shape to wear something that unfitted and voluminous. You seem to have a good waist - how about knitting one of the new kits - Plisse or Ping Pong. These are more like the mermaid in shape and the mermaid looks really good on you.

Your Mermaid Jacket looks great. I am new to this site and I contacted Amy about a month ago concerning the spreadsheet and have not heard back from her. How long did it take for you to get your spreadsheet? I am anxious to start, but really want to wait for spreadsheet. Any info on this would be appreciated. Thanks.